Guardian
Guardians are Necromorphs that, unlike any other variant of their species (excluding Wheezers and Cysts), completely lack mobility. They are anchored onto walls, their flesh fused together with the Corruption. As a consequence, they cannot actively hunt for prey, however they will instantly kill anything that comes nearby, striking the victim with a lethal scythe-tipped appendage, made from the host's intestines. Overview Guardians are made from a single human body that has been fused together with the Corruption growing on the walls, thus establishing a form of symbiosis. The transformation of the host is quite extensive and both its first and last stages can be witnessed. At the beginning, the host, or at this stage the immature Guardian, still retains its human characteristics, however is heavily mutilated. More specifically, the torso is only intact until the waist-down, where the abdomen is vertically split apart with the entrails hanging out. At this stage, the newly formed Guardian is extremely weak and lethargic, easily dispatched and incapable of performing any kind of lethal attacks. At the very most, they will play dead until approached, or otherwise alerted, when the Corruption will attempt to cause damage by flailing out the host's intestines over which the host has no control. Despite the severity of the body's condition, it is clear that the host is still clinging onto life, still wailing in pain and agony. This fact further establishes the notion of a symbiotic relationship with the Corruption, as it would be not otherwise possible for a human being to live for so long having sustained so extensive damage. Given sufficient time, the torso will transform and ultimately develop to the stage of a mature Guardian. The fusion between the human body and the Corruption has been, for the most part, completed, with the two being indistinguishable from each other, with most of the human features of the host body being unrecognizable at this stage. While the Guardians do keep to scream and moan, suggesting that at least some part of the human brain (hypothalamus) is still functioning even at this stage, their transformation is otherwise very drastic. The first thing one notices is the apparent increase in size compared to the previous stage, a result of the fusion with the Corruption's biomass. Moreover, the human arms, that were a characteristic trait of the immature stage, have now disappeared, probably atrophied or otherwise consumed by the Corruption, as they currently serve no purpose. Alterations can also be seen on the head of the host, with the lower jaw and part of the neck completely missing, exposing the trachea and leading to a wide open thorax and a newly created sac where the abdomen used to be. The latter two, are two body structures that have been repurposed and created, respectively, in order to accommodate with the Guardian's functions. The thorax cavity now serves as a place for the newly created tentacle appendages to rest. The creature has two kinds of said appendages. The first kind, are the appendages that are used to further anchor the creature on its spot and are instantly drawn out once the Guardian has spotted a hostile in its vicinity. The second kind of these appendages however is a single scythe tipped tentacle that serves as the creature's only means of offense in close quarters and is what makes the Guardian extremely lethal. The sac is in fact an orifice that serves as a canal for the Corruption to spew out embryonic spawn, known as Pods, which will aid in attacking and keeping detected threats at a distance. Strategy *Severing all the Guardian's tentacles from its chest will kill it instantly. This is what you should try to do when encountering a Guardian. *If there is access to any kind of explosives, be it in the form of explosive canisters, or a weapon's firing mode, aim it and shoot it at the opening on the Guardian's chest, when all of its tentacles are drawn out, for an easy kill. *Do not open fire on a mature Guardian until it has released its tentacles onto the wall it is anchored to. If you shoot it before it notices you, you won't do any damage. *Always keep a distance from the Guardian at all costs. Attempting to get close to use close ranged weapons, such as the Ripper, is usually fatal, as the Guardian launches a bladed tentacle from its torso which can decapitate Isaac instantly. *Guardians spit out Pods which will open fire on the player with a ranged attack. The Pods will also detonate when they are killed and/or if one comes too close to them. They can be easily dispatched by severing their tentacle with the weapon of your choice. *Stasis can be used in conjunction with the flamethrower to quickly dispatch Guardians, if well-timed. As soon as the Guardian releases its tentacles, use stasis on them and follow up with the flamethrower. This method can be used to kill a Guardian with less than 20 units of flame fuel. *On higher difficulties, it's a good idea to conserve your ammunition by ignoring the Pods until after the Guardian is dead. With a bit of timing, you can evade the projectiles they shoot while you sever the tentacles of the Guardian, and once the Guardian is dead, the Pods won't respawn. *One of the easier ways to kill a Mature Guardian in Dead Space 2 is to either use Stasis or a Stasis Canister when it's alerted and the tentacles emerge. One shot with a saw blade from the Ripper will severe all tentacles, killing it. Death Scene thumb|Right|250px|Death Sequence by a Guardian *If you get too close to a Guardian, the Guardian will shoot a tentacle out of its chest, hitting Isaac's head and decapitating him. Because it happens so quickly, Isaac's body will try to feel what's left of his head (by reaching up to it in shock.) before stumbling to the ground, dead. *Isaac's torso can also be taken out with a slash to the waist. *The tentacles can also rip Isaac apart after decapitation, although this is a rare occasion. *If Isaac is killed by an exploding Pod, he is thrown backward and usually has a limb or two missing. Trivia *After dispatching a Mature Guardian, if the player listens closely they can hear the human host give a sigh of relief at the end of the creature's death animation. *The Tentacle that a Mature Guardian uses to dispatch Isaac's head seems to originate out of the the mouth of the Guardian. *A Guardian's wailing can be heard in a room in Chapter 2 of ''Dead Space'' (mobile) but strangely, it is nowhere to be found. *The Guardian is one of two once frequent Necromorphs to only appear on several occasions in Dead Space 2, the other being the Divider. *If you stand in front of a dead Guardian and punch it, the blood spatter will spray forward and the screen will darken as if it were spraying in your face. This can also be done with any other body, but is easiest with Guardians. *Guardians seem to mature in hours. For example in the Bio Lab on the Ishimura one manages to plant itself and grow in a matter of hours. *Even if Isaac uses Stasis on the Guardian and gets too close, another tentacle will come out and kill Isaac. *No immature Guardians are seen in Dead Space 2. Gallery File:Immature_Guardian.jpg|An Immature Guardian. 788782-guardian super.jpg|A Mature Guardian stretches out its tentacles. guardian.png|The Guardian game model.Kyle Winkelman's Game Model. guardian_textured.jpg|Game render. Dead-Space-2008-10-25-18-30-55-51.png|A Guardian decapitating Isaac. Appearances *''Dead Space'' *''Dead Space 2 and Severed DLC pack'' Sources